10 Things to Skip at Your Wedding to Save Money

08/23/12posted by julianne

Let’s be honest. We all can’t afford to have the wedding of our dreams when those dream mean thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars – especially in the Washington, DC area. Planning (aka funding) your wedding comes down to priorities. Spend money on the things that matter the most to you as a couple and skip the rest. After all, what matters is the marriage. The rest is gravy!

With the skipping in mind though, I thought it would be fun to compile a list of the top 10 things that you can do without at your wedding to help save yourself a little cash. When you see average weddings costs and total wedding budget amounts, these items are generally included. So, if you skip ’em, you’ll be saving yourself. When planning a wedding, the little things add up and saving every little bit counts. Here goes (in no particular order)…

1. Menu Cards Potential cost savings: $$
Menu cards are pieces of paper at each place setting letting the guests know what will be served for dinner. Sometimes couples have fun with the menu cards and have a designer make and print the cards, which costs money. Menu cards are a nice touch, but by no means required. Besides, it isn’t like your guests can order something different! If you still want menu cards, but can’t afford it, this is certainly something you could DIY ahead of time. You could also consider making one large menu board for all guests to view. These menu boards look awesome in chalk!

2. TransportationPotential cost savings: $$$$
There are two types of wedding transportation: one is for you and your spouse, and the other is for your guests. Sometimes couples hire a limo to take themselves (and their wedding party) to/from the ceremony and reception. Couples can also splurge on some sort of get-away car at the end of the night. The get-away car is definitely skip-able. As one of our Facebook readers said, “By the end of the night, half of the guests have left already anyway and the remaining half is either drunk or tired, so they don’t care what you drive away in.”

Sometimes couples hire vans, buses or trolleys to transport their guests to/from the hotel to the ceremony, reception and home at the end of the night. Hiring wedding guest transportation is very common in the DC area (See: list of local DC area wedding transportation companies), because most guests are from out of town and getting around the city on time and in one piece can be really tough! But, you can image how this can add up very quickly. Skipping transportation for your guests and letting them be adults about getting themselves to/from your wedding is a huge savings for you.

If you skip formal transportation, it is nice to provide directions and parking information to help to your guests. Ensure that you have pre-arranged some type of ride for yourself. Also, make sure that it is clear to your wedding party that they will need to obtain their own rides. You don’t want anyone to get left behind!

3. FavorsPotential cost savings: $$$
Even if you only spend $2 per favor, the cost can still really add up. On a 200 person wedding that is $400, plus any shipping or additional fees. Finding nice and worthy favors for that price is tough to do anyway. If you are trying to save money, skip the favors all together. No wedding guest expects a favor. What is worse is that guests tend to leave favors or throw them out when they get home. If you are going to do favors, I’m partial to edible ones because I think they are appreciated the most. Favors are a great option to DIY. (See: Fudge wedding favor recipe and DIY wedding favor bags.) If you have a family member or close friend that really wants a role in your wedding, you can ask them to bake cookies or make granola for your guests as a wedding favor.

4. Bathroom AmenitiesPotential cost savings: $
Sometimes couples put a basket full of amenities in the bathroom for their guests. Such items include mints, hairspray, tissues, feminine products – the list is endless for potential items to include. And, so is the price tag when you are talking more than one restroom. As Tabitha from Roberts & Co. Events said, “Guests barely use them or just take it with them at the end of the night as freebies. Saves $100 easily.”

5. Floral CenterpiecesPotential cost savings: $$$$
Flowers cost money. Period. It costs money to grow them, transport them, have a florist arrange them for you and deliver them to your event. I know that many suggest to DIY your flower centerpieces, or have a friend or family member do the florals to save money. This might work for some couples, but I’m not a huge advocate for the DIY floral anything option. For many reasons, I think florals are one of those things better left to the professionals. Skipping floral centerpieces is also an option when so many other, cheaper centerpiece options are available. Think: candles, seasonal items like pumpkins, even goldfish! Non-floral centerpiece ideas are endless. I really love the idea of doing potted plants and herbs as centerpieces and letting guests take the pots home – favors and centerpieces in one!

6. ProgramsPotential cost savings: $$
Programs for your wedding ceremony serves a few purposes. It lets your guests know the order of things, it gives you a chance to write a dedication or thank you to your guests, and it allows you to introduce your wedding party. Beyond that, it is just something for your guests to look and fan themselves with at while your ceremony is going on! Be honest! If you are trying to save money, skip the programs. No one will miss them. If you are having programs, as Vicki from My Simple Details told her client in this real Virginia wedding that we featured: Print less programs than you think you need. You don’t need one per guest and you’ll save yourself printing costs.

7. VideographerPotential cost savings: $$$$
This pains me to write, because I LOVE my wedding video to this day, but it is true. Videographers cost a lot of money. If you are looking to save money, you can certainly skip a wedding videographer. I definitely wouldn’t recommend hiring a photographer who also does video as a way to get both services for cheaper. This is just a disaster waiting to happen. You want your photographer focused on taking pictures, not worrying about video. If your photographer brings an additional person to help with video that might work and could be something to consider.

8. Fancy LinensPotential cost savings: $$
This really applies to all wedding rentals. If you choose more affordable rented items, you can really save yourself. Wedding rentals like linens, china, glasses and chairs can add up when you are talking 150 to 200 guests. So, skip the fancy table linens and the fine china. Opt for simple, more affordable choices like white linens and plates. Nothing beats a crisp, clean white table linen anyway! Your guests won’t notice that you didn’t splurge on the custom-cut, imported silk table linens.

9. Open BarPotential cost savings: $$$$
Skipping the open, fully stocked bar at your wedding is like cash in your hand. Food and drink will probably be one of your biggest wedding expenses. Think about how much it would cost to take all of your friends and family out drinking to a bar one night!? It is astronomical! So, cutting back on or skipping the open bar has the potential for huge savings. I know you or your fiance might have had your hearts and minds set on the idea of an open bar, but let me tell you it isn’t easy to pull off financially. There are a few different options to indulge your guests and still save money. You can offer a few signature or pre-made cocktails. This should be a set price and cheaper than an open bar. You can go seasonal like a caramel apple martini in the fall or something personal, like your favorite drink. You can offer just wine and beer. This alone will save you the hard alcohol costs. If your venue allows it, you can purchase ahead of time and bring in your own booze. (Big box stores like Costco or even a trip to Delaware can be an option here!) With a little advance planning, this can be a huge money saver and you get to keep the extra booze!

10. RSVP CardsPotential cost savings: $$$I know it is fun to get things in the mail these days, but with e-mail and online RSVP options, you can certainly skip formal RSVP cards in your wedding invitations. You will not only save in the printing of the cards, but you’ll also save in the return postage that you’ll have to put on each card. If you have a wedding planner in DC, they can collect RSVPs for you. They might charge a small fee to do so, but it would still be cheaper than using formal RSVP cards. On Twitter, Erica said that an online RSVP was great for contacting all of her guests when they had to change wedding locations the day before because of a potential storm. If you do this, just make it clear on the invitation how your guests should RSVP. Most guests will look for the RSVP card and you want to avoid any confusion.

::::::::::::::::::::

So that’s it! What did I miss? Leave a comment and let me know what you are skipping at your wedding to save money! And, a super special thanks to everyone on Twitter and Facebook who chimed in with such good suggestions for this list. Keep ’em coming!

[…] having a full open bar at your wedding just isn’t a budget-friendly option. (See our post on 10 things to skip at DC weddings to save money.) Luckily, offering a spectacular signature drink is a fantastic option for your guests. You may […]

I truly apologize for making my negative comment to this blog. I had just come off a super bad week and had knee jerked my reaction to your blog by my comment and it was uncalled for. I know we are all out there trying to make a go of whatever it is we are doing and I don’t want to feed any negativity to anyone. I know how difficult it must be to write a blog on a daily basis and you do a great job!

As an advertiser with UWL and a florist I was not offended or bothered by this post. I appreciate the guidance given here to brides and the support we as vendors receive. Of course I love flowers and would hope to see loads of them at every event but in truth this is not right or financially possible for all couples. Each couple must make decisions based on the funds that they have at hand. Life is about choices and sometimes realizing the answer is no!!!

It’s interesting that so many blogs and magazines would put out there to skip the very same vendor services that PAY them to advertise. How can you ask for money and then tell your readers to skip them? As a event floral designer, I would pull my advertising $$ immediately and put them where they would be fully supported. And I agree with Janice, no dead goldfish, they went out in the 90’s.

I know that most wedding professionals will cringe a little when we see posts/columns/articles like this and we are on the list as places to spend less or no money. Wedding Planners are almost always on the list. But I really feel for the Videographers. Almost no one is in their camp, on their side, professing them as necessary. I’ll tell you one thing, not a single one of my clients who did hire a videographer had buyer’s remorse. They are all so thrilled to have those vows, the toasts and the dances saved forever.

The reality here is that we are ALL luxury items. None of us are needed, save for the court clerk who is issuing the marriage license and the celebrant performing the ceremony. None of us are truly required. We are all luxury service providers.

I want to point out that all these ideas came from other wedding professionals on Facebook and Twitter. Juli just compiled them and presented them as ideas for the readers who are getting married – and who have specifically asked UWL for more posts on the budget.

Finally, there is nothing more important to me than being respectful of a couple’s budget and their priorities. I take the time to refer couples to great planning books and online resources when I realize that their budget cannot accommodate a reputable, full-service wedding planner. And I recently met a couple who was facing extremely extenuating circumstances, with a budget doubling in front of their eyes with weeks before the wedding, and that is where I came up with the idea of nixing any centerpieces on the tables. Because when people are facing debt or decor, can I really advise them to pick decor?

Yikes! I can’t imagine the Florists who are listed in your vendor section will appreciate you recommending folks skip out on centerpieces We wedding pros need to stick together 🙂 After all we would never dare say that garters are a good place to save money because we want you to be a continued success!

I would never suggest skipping on florals for a wedding but lighting is a luxury item and can save a couple thousand dollars. Order a bunch of votive candles to create a great ambiance. Just my two cents 🙂

Sorry, I was so distressed to comment about gold fish, I didn’t finish reading the post.

Never ever have a cash bar. If you cannot afford a full bar, offer beer and wine. If you cannot afford beer and wine, have a dry wedding. Cash bars are just about the ultimate faux pas.

And about the centerpieces (again) – I do not think you have to put anything in the center of your table if you truly are on a budget. I go to Ruth’s Chris or Morton’s and spend a hefty sum to eat dinner, and I am not at all concerned about the lack of a floral centerpiece on the white linen tabletop. Your guests will not be too worried about the lack of flowers if your dinner is delicious and the dance floor is packed.

Great post! At the paper + print shop I work at, we often will print a single 8×10 menu for our brides. This they can frame and set by the place card table for guests who wish to take a look. Definitely more cost effective than printing 200!